foo-foo fuel pump

so of course this 4.2L YJ i've breathed life back into has been running like a champ. I jumped in one morning and drove it around the block for some good reason. Then parked it through the afternoon. I hopped back in to head to the local 4wheel store to buy it presents, and for some reason it didn't want to start. It didn't even want to go to the tire shop to put on the superswampers i got it!
I put fuel in the carb and it'll eat the fuel and thats it. Its got gas, so i figure its the fuel pump, pull the fuel inelt hose on the carb and theres no fuel as expected. I head my way toward the pump and find its bone drie too. So i get a new pump and install it, but while i'm taking off the old pump fuel squirts Everywhere. Oddly enough (to me at least) the fuel squirted from inside the recess of the pump, not from either of the hose areas. Is that normal? After putting back on the new pump, no luck! no fuel?! I connect a hose and blow back down through the fuel system and it is not obstructed. When i start the car with my finger on the fuel pump inlet i just get a VERY light suction on my finger. i mean so light i wouldn't expect it to pump any fuel. Any insights?

well it looks like i solved my own problem again. I'm not sure if fuel spraying out of the recess was a bad thing (i think it probably was) but apparently all i needed to do was reconnect the whole system to get it to work right. I guess it needed the back pressure of the line to the carb. I think its weird though, i was expecting a lot more suction from a new pump than was delivered. Go figure. Oh well, i found myself a new problem already ::sigh::